WEEI

April 1, 2012 at
11:38 AM

The Red Sox continued to trim down their roster today, as catcher Ryan Lavarnway was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Lavarnway crushed the ball in spring training, batting .429 with a .488 on-base percentage and a .486 slugging percentage in 35 at-bats with the big league club. He will return to Pawtucket where he was one of the best hitters in the International League last season. After his call-up from Double-A Portland on June 13th, he hit 18 home runs in just 61 games and posted a 1.002 OPS. The 24-year-old will split time at catcher with Luis Exposito, and will also see time as a DH. As Chris Mellen, SoxProspects Director of Scouting, noted in his Prospect Preview, Lavarnway will be focusing on improving his defense in Triple-A, as his bat will not be truly tested until he is in the major leagues.

This move leaves the Red Sox with 40 players in camp, including two on the 60-day disabled list. They need to be down to 25 players by Wednesday at 5PM.

James Crowell is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. You can follow him on Twitter @CrowellJim